


Don't Wake Me Up

by whoneedsalifewhenyouhavetv



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Awkwardness, Coming Out, Cute, Flirting, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-08-28 14:02:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16724778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whoneedsalifewhenyouhavetv/pseuds/whoneedsalifewhenyouhavetv
Summary: “You alive?” Nico asked jokingly, and Levi was pleased to admit that he sounded a bit out of breath too. After all, how embarrassing would it be if it were just him?Levi blinked down into his ortho god’s eyes, and he couldn’t help but sound unsure as he replied, “I think so?”





	1. Dead and Loving It

**Author's Note:**

> So I know I’m not doing their amazingness justice (honestly, who can?), but after 15x08 I really needed new Schmico content (as I’m sure you do too). Since the show is on haitus right now, I decided to come up with my own Schmico fic to placate myself (pathetic, I know lol). Then I thought maybe some of you might want to read it too, so I decided to share! I don’t know how long it’ll be yet (probably only a few chapters tbh, up until their first date maybe?) but any feedback in the meantime would be appreciated! I tried to stay as close to the characters as I could, but given this is my first fic I don’t know how successful I was lol. Right now, I’m just kinda seeing how it goes *shrug* and any input from you guys would be awesome. Enjoy! Or don’t...lol let me know either way :P

_This couldn’t be real._

_THIS couldn’t be real._

_This couldn’t be REAL._

Those were the words echoing on a loop in Levi Schmitt’s kiss-clouded brain. He couldn’t compute the cold metal pressed up against his hand or the warm chest pressed up against his. There was absolutely no way that he, Levi “Glasses” “Blood Bank” Schmitt, was grinding in Nico Kim’s lap in an ambulance in the middle of a freaking wind storm – shirtless! – getting his brains kissed out by the hot new ortho fellow.

But as a soft moan escaped Nico and his hands tightened ever-so-slightly around Levi’s bare hips drawing him in closer, Levi couldn’t help but marvel at the realization that yes, this was real, as were the soft lips beneath his own and the sharp jaw cradled in his palm.

Levi didn’t know what he did to deserve this, but he wasn’t about to complain; he was going to make the most of it. Tightening his fingers in Nico’s silky hair, he scrunched up his eyes tighter (just in case if he opened them the moment disappeared) and changed the angle of the kiss slightly for a deeper glide into Nico’s mouth.

_Yes_ , Levi thought as he ran his free hand down Nico’s neck to feel down his corded pecs and abs. _This_ was perfection. Unreal, but total perfection.

At least, it was, until another strong gust of wind jostled the ambulance – and them – a little too hard, causing Nico to pull away just enough that their lips parted but not so far that they weren’t still breathing the same air.

Well, Nico was breathing. Levi, on the other hand, was panting as if he’d just run a marathon. As the thudding of his heart in his ears drowned out the rushing winds outside, he let his eyes slip closed and attempted to catch his breath. 

“You alive?” Nico asked jokingly, and Levi was pleased to admit that he sounded a bit out of breath too. After all, how embarrassing would it be if it were just him? 

Levi blinked down into his ortho god’s eyes, and he couldn’t help but sound unsure as he replied, “I think so?”

Nico chuckled at that, flashing Levi a rare grin that had the corners of his chocolate eyes crinkling and Levi’s paranoia taking over once again. There was no way – no way on _earth_ – this could be real, that a man as attractive as Nico Kim was interested in an awkward nerd like Levi. So, Levi concluded, that left only one alternative: he’d somehow died – probably due to his own clumsiness – and this was heaven. 

As he ran his eyes over Nico’s perfect face and body once again, Levi decided he couldn’t even be mad at being dead, because this was so much better than anything he had ever experienced while he was alive.

As he pondered his new revelation, Levi considered yet another possibility: maybe this was a dream? It was an interesting idea, but as he basked in the perfection of the moment, he decided that he didn’t care either way; dead or alive, dream or reality, he never wanted to wake up from this.

“What are you thinking about?” Nico’s deep voice, drew Levi out of his thoughts.

“Hmm?” Was Levi’s intelligent reply.

“You disappeared on me. Am I boring you?” Nico joked.

Levi couldn’t help but snort at that. “You’re kidding, right? I should be asking you that.” He immediately winced at how that came out and tensed as he waits for the inevitable rejection as Nico realized that Levi was just as insecure as he was inexperienced. _Way to go, Levi, you just drove him off. Again._

Instead of backing away with another, _“I can’t be your gay Sherpa,”_ speech, like Levi expected, Nico surprised him with a soft smile and a confident, “Trust me, you're the opposite of boring.”

As Nico smirked up at him, Levi couldn’t help but internally cringe as he suddenly remembered his “extra big blow” rant earlier in the clinic, as well as all the sass he had been throwing around throughout the day.

“Yeah, a-about that, sorry about, um, snapping at you...earlier, I-.”

“Don’t be.” Nico interrupted, and to Levi’s surprise, he had a wry smile on his face and a heated look in his eyes as he looked up and down Levi’s body. “I gotta say, you standing up for yourself today was all sorts of hot.”

_Him? Hot?_ “Seriously?” Levi perused his exposed arms, chest, and abdomen with his own eyes and came up blank (although, to their credit, he _was_ half-blind at the moment without his glasses). 

“Seriously, dude. It took everything in me to walk away from you earlier after you told me off about small bowel obstructions and NG tubes.” His eyebrows waggling teasingly, Nico’s smirk turned into a full-on grin. As Levi got lost in the beauty of it, he couldn’t help but feel a little brave.

“What did you really want to do instead?” He whispered.

Right as the final word left his mouth, Nico’s eyes instantly dropped to it, and Levi couldn’t resist the urge to run his tongue across his lips.

Finally, Nico responded, _“This”_ , and that’s all the warning Levi got before Nico’s left hand shifted from Levi’s hip to his neck and dragged him back in for round two.


	2. Fireworks and Freak-Outs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi and Nico decide to make the best of a bad situation...with some unintended consequences ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m hesitant to call this ‘Chapter 2’ because really it’s just a continuation of Chapter 1, but regardless here it is! Chapter 3 (an actual chapter, I promise) will be up before the end of the week so stay tuned!

Fireworks. That’s what Levi saw behind his eyelids as their tongues intertwined and his hands grasped for purchase on the closest stable surface. This time, instead of the wall of the rig, he was firmly clutching the cabinet above his head.

_Now_ Levi understood what all the fuss about sex was about. Not that he’d had it with Nico yet, but if kissing Nico was this good, he could just imagine how amazing having sex with him would be. The stuff to write books about, probably. To start wars over.

Levi was enjoying the light show behind his lids when, interestingly, they got brighter. He didn’t think anything of it – after all, it _was_ an amazing kiss – until a loud _crash_ exploded around them and a sharp _smack_ rattled the ambulance. Instinctively, Levi and Nico broke apart and turned their heads towards the back door of the rig for the cause of the commotion.

“Dude…” Nico started, before breaking off in shock.

Through the large windows on the back door of the rig, Levi could see a huge pile of rubble caused by a collapsed power line. The door was completely barricaded, and a quick glance at the side door they had entered through confirmed that exit was blocked too. If that wasn’t bad enough, the exposed power lines were getting picked up by the wind and were spitting sparks of electricity everywhere.

“We’re gonna die here.” Levi started to panic. ”We’re in a metal box. We’re gonna get electrocuted, and we’re gonna die here. Or, the ambulance is gonna catch on fire, and the gas in the tank will explode, or-”

“Levi. Levi! Chill out. It’ll be okay.” Nico’s hands ran soothingly up his arms before reaching up to hold his face between them. His big hands forced Levi to tilt his head up so their eyes met, and despite knowing that he had more important things to think about, like his impending death, Levi couldn’t help but marvel at the way Nico said his name. Almost no one at Grey Sloan called him by his first name – except maybe Taryn – and certainly, none of them had ever said his name like _that_ , as if their tongue was rolling his name like a caress.

“Hey, are you okay?” Nico asked, concerned when Levi stayed silent.

“How are you not freaking out?” Levi finally asked, curious. He was envious at the calm Nico was exuding. And even though panic was threatening to bubble up in his throat again, he couldn’t help but appreciate the fact that seeing Nico so chill in a crisis was sexy as hell.

“Well, we can’t really leave,” Nico gestured with his head to the power lines going haywire outside the ambulance, lashing around like whips. _Or snakes,_ Levi thought. “So our only option is to just stay here until we get help.”

“Do you have your phone on you? I left mine in the clinic,” Levi admitted.

“Yeah, it’s in my lab coat,” Nico said, dropping his hands from Levi’s face to point at the crinkled garment. Levi followed his gaze to where their pile of discarded lab coats and scrub tops lied on the floor. As he turned back to face Nico, he felt Nico’s hands move to rest comfortably on his bare waist, causing a tingle to run up his spine. He was so caught up in the sensation that when Nico’s long fingers gently tapped on his hips expectantly, he barely noticed.

When a few moments passed and Levi still didn’t move, Nico laughed. “You’re going to have to get up if you want me to get it.”

“Oh, right.” Internally pouting, Levi scrambled up as gracefully as he could, but a gust of wind rattled the ambulance at the exact moment he only had one foot on the floor. Despite his best efforts, he pitched backward, and although Nico reached out an arm to steady him, another jostle of the ambulance had Levi falling on his ass anyway.

“You good?” Nico asked, concerned.

Levi sighed. Falling was nothing new. “Yup.”

After giving him a quick once-over to confirm he wasn’t hiding any injuries, Nico got up as well and bent down to sift through the coats to figure out which one was his. Any disappointment Levi had been feeling immediately disappeared as he was distracted by how amazing Nico’s ass – which he was now eye-level with – looked in his navy scrubs.

“Crap.” 

“Hmm?” Levi blinked and lifted his gaze to see Nico holding up his phone.

“The screen is cracked and it won’t turn on.” Nico dropped the phone back down on the pile of clothing in disgust. “Must’ve broken earlier.”

As the words registered, Levi’s began to freak out again. It must have been obvious on his face because Nico crouched down on the floor of the rig in front of Levi.

“Levi, calm down. If the power lines are collapsed, odds are the hospital lost power, at least partially. Someone’ll be here soon to fix it and save us. So don’t worry.”

Levi had to admit, it was a logical plan. But-

“Also, if this really is the end, we might as well go out with a bang.” Smirking, Nico ran his eyes down Levi’s still shirtless body before throwing a wink.

Biting his lip to keep himself from laughing at the innuendo, Levi decided he couldn’t really argue with that. But there was still one thing on his mind. He opened his mouth to say it aloud, but before he could get the words out, Nico’s lips were covering his and any previous thoughts went out the window as Levi let himself get lost in the kiss. 

Way too soon, however, Nico was drawing back. 

“That time I really was kissing you to get you to stop talking.” The corner of Nico’s lips twitched upwards. “Sorry.”

“I wasn’t complaining,” Levi assured him, before grabbing Nico’s face and drawing him in closer to pick up where they left off.

Eventually, despite not knowing how or when it happened, Levi found himself lying horizontally on the floor of the rig, Nico’s warm, solid frame above his as Nico took control of his mouth and body. Even though they were both still fully clothed from the waist down, Levi couldn’t help but be hyper-aware of every inch of Nico’s bare skin against his and every lingering touch as it made his skin tingle in the most delicious way. If Nico’s goal was to drive Levi crazy, and it was definitely working. He seemed to know exactly how to brush his body against Levi’s in a way that had Levi involuntarily arching his back up to meet him.

Nico’s right hand was braced by Levi’s head as his left hand had found its place at Levi’s hip again. Soon, Nico’s fingers were playing at the waistband of Levi’s scrub pants and Levi’s heart was thudding with excitement. 

“Can I?” Nico breathed, his left hand lingering at the thin trail of hair leading down from Levi’s belly button.

Even though a guy had never touched him there before, Levi found that he really really wanted Nico to. He nodded. “Please.” 

Nico didn’t need any other invitation. Right as he reached his left hand under his scrubs and boxers to wrap his hand around Levi, he captured Levi’s lips in another kiss. Soon, he was gently stroking in time to his tongue in Levi’s mouth.

Levi’s skin felt like it was on fire, yet he needed more. He’d never felt like this before. Never. _Well,_ he thought, _this_ definitely _confirms I’m into guys. Or, more specifically, Nico._

Before long, the sensations were getting to be almost too much, and while ordinarily, this would be a good thing, Levi wanted this to last. Reluctantly, he pulled back. “You are really good at that,” He gasped, lifting his gaze to look into Nico’s eyes.

“I’m in ortho. I’m good with bones.” Nico’s gaze drifts down to his hand in Levi’s pants and Levi couldn’t help the laugh that emerged from his throat, despite everything going on down there. “That was _so_ bad,” he managed to choke out between giggles.

“It sounded better in my head,” Nico admitted, the tops of his cheeks turning a shade pinker than the rest of his face. It gave him such an endearing look that Levi's laughter faded and he couldn’t help but dive in for a few more exquisite sips from his lips.

Nico’s hand started moving again and Levi let himself get lost in the moment. He could swear the fireworks were getting brighter again, but he couldn’t tell if they’re Nico’s doing or the power lines outside. At that point, he couldn’t bring himself to care.

But maybe he should have, because next thing he knew, there was another crash, followed by the back door to the rig being whipped open. Both he and Nico froze – Nico’s hand still in his pants. 

Levi held his breath. Maybe the wind blew the door open? However unlikely, it was better than the alterna-

“You alright in there?” a voice called, and Levi cringed as he saw the very distinctive uniform of a firefighter over Nico’s shoulder.

“Can you give us a minute?” Nico coughed, slyly removing his hand from in between them.

“Oh! You’re, um...sorry.”

Levi looked over Nico’s shoulder to see the firefighter had turned away to give them a little privacy.

“You okay?” Nico whispered as he handed Levi his scrub top and threw his own on. When his hair – usually perfect, but now a wind-blown, finger-tangled mess – and face emerged through the neck of the shirt, Levi smiled and nodded. After throwing on his own top, Levi reached down to not-so-subtly adjusted himself in his pants. Though he’d like to say that being discovered had killed the mood down there, it really hadn’t. Nico was that potent.

“Are you decent?” The firefighter asked moments later, and when he received a grunt of confirmation from Nico, who had done his own share of adjusting, he turned fully to reveal his face. Levi’s heart dropped, and the mood from earlier? Definitely killed.

Because it wasn’t just any firefighter. It was his boss’ husband.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol poor Ben! He soooo didn’t ask to see that! I can just imagine his face XD Let me know what you thought! Next chapter will be up by the end of the week :)


	3. Husbands and Hypotheticals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being discovered/rescued in the last chapter, Levi now has to deal with the aftermath of going back into the hospital and facing his bosses...specifically, Drs. Bailey and Grey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately, it's finals season at my college :( I really need to study lol so I won’t be able to update for at least another week, but I hope you’ll enjoy this in the meantime! It’s quite a bit longer than the previous chapters so I hope it’ll make up for me not being able to update as frequently :)

As recognition set in for Nico as well, he turned his head sharply to Levi. Levi returned his gaze just in time to see the exact moment Nico’s face changed from the soft expression of the past couple of hours to...well, Levi couldn’t exactly put his finger on it, but it seemed to be a combination of apprehension, resignation, and maybe even...fear? Regardless, he could see the Nico he’d grown to know over the past couple of hours disappear behind the cool mask he had only seen once before – at the end of the fateful elevator ride that had set all this in motion. 

_Oh_ , Levi realized. All at once, he understood. Nico was afraid that Levi would reject him in order to avoid coming out to Dr. Warren. Beyond the fact that the term didn’t really apply to Levi – honestly, was he ever really ‘in’ the closet? – if he was completely honest with himself, Levi wasn’t sure if he was ready for Dr. Bailey’s husband, and by extension, Dr. Bailey, to find out about them. 

Not he was ashamed! Not at all. Honestly, how could he be? If anyone should be ashamed, it should be Nico for being involved with the clumsy intern who dropped his glasses in a patient. The truth was, Levi had a couple reasons for his trepidation about exposing their…whatever they were. 

The main one? He was just an intern, and he didn’t feel like he had yet shown his worth at Grey Sloan. He didn’t want his future success (at least, he hoped it would be a success) as a surgeon to be attributed to the fact that he was _that_ intern, the one who slept with his bosses to get ahead. Especially considering his... _history_ with Dr. Jo Karev. 

Also, there was the fact that Levi didn’t know the rules about relationships at Grey Sloan between superiors and subordinates. Not that he and Nico had a relationship. _Yet_ , Levi’s foolish heart hoped, although realistically he knew Nico would probably get bored of him before that happened. Regardless, being found out and later told they couldn’t see each other was a legitimate concern of his.

As Levi gazed into Nico’s still, expressionless face, he came to the startling realization that even with these very valid reasons holding him back, there was one that negated the rest: Nico made him _feel_ , more than anyone had before, and not just physically. There was something deeper between them that Levi couldn’t yet explain but knew he would fight for, even if it ended up costing him the already questionable respect of his peers and bosses. 

Acting on instinct, he darted his hand out to grab Nico’s and intertwined their fingers. It was more than just a gesture of solidarity, it was a statement. Not just to Nico, but to anyone watching that he was proud of who he was – and who he was with – and nothing, not even fear, was going to get in the way of that.

Levi hesitantly looked up at Nico’s startled face to make sure he hadn’t overstepped, but when Nico’s mask cracked to reveal that soft smile again, Levi knew he’d done the right thing. And that smile...it caused a fluttery, warm feeling to spread through Levi’s chest. He knew it sounded crazy, especially since he barely knew Nico, but now that he’d had a taste of that something between them, he knew he could never go back. Whatever it was, it was as addictive as it was potent, and Levi knew that as long as he could keep basking in its glow, he’d be okay no matter what – _gulp_ – Bailey said.

An abrupt cough drew Levi out of his thoughts. The moment broken, he turned towards the forgotten ex-surgeon-now-turned-firefighter. 

Dr. Warren’s gaze briefly went down to their entwined hands, but he remained professional and didn’t comment as he gestured to the mess behind him. “We’ve managed to get it cleared enough for you to get back into the hospital...if you want, that is,” he chuckled as his cool expression disappeared and an amused smirk took its place.

Levi could feel his cheeks brightening, but he ignored it as he nodded. “Yeah, thanks.”

Dr. Warren walked away then, and as the realization that he could finally leave this metal box of doom hit, it spurred Levi into motion. Letting go of Nico’s hand, he twisted around to grab his lab coat from behind himself and handed Nico his as well. Nico chuckled at his obvious urgency but complied.

Together, they carefully climbed out of the rig and half-crawled, half-ran into the hospital. Once the doors closed behind them, Levi breathed a sigh of relief. He shouldn’t have though, because they hadn’t even had a chance to straighten out their clothes or tame their wind-blown hair when they caught the attention of Dr. Bailey.

“Now where have you two been?” Dr. Bailey’s stern voice yelled from across the room and pure fear struck Levi’s heart. She continued as she stalked over to them. “It’s been chaos in here, and I expected you both back hours ago.”

Levi opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. With wide eyes, he turned to Nico for help.

Taking a step forward, Nico smoothly took charge of the situation. “After we cleared everyone in the clinic, we tried to cross the ambulance bay, but the winds were too strong so we took cover in an empty rig. Then the power lines fell, and we were stuck until the fire department came and helped us out.” He explained smoothly. “We’re ready to get back to work now, though.”

Levi’s fear at getting fired by Bailey (she could still do that even though she wasn’t the chief anymore, right?) was put on the backburner as he remembered something more important. “A-a-actually, Dr. Bailey,” He started, before clearing his throat. ”Nic-Dr. Kim needs a CT before getting back to work. He hit his head pretty hard out there.”

“I’m fine,” Nico assured Dr. Bailey, but Levi threw a glare at him. 

“That blow knocked you out for a solid minute before I got to you. You need a CT.” His voice was firm.

Nico’s brow raised in interest at his tone, but he argued anyway. “Thanks for the concern, but I’m fine. I don’t ne-”

“I agree with Dr. Schmitt. Get yourself to CT, Dr. Kim. I’m sure you know the way.” 

Levi shot Nico a smug glance at Dr. Bailey’s no-nonsense tone, but before he could truly relish the moment, Dr. Bailey opened her mouth again. “Schmitt, go find Dr. Grey. You’re with her today.”

Levi blinked. “But, I...I thought you said I was with Dr. Kim today?” He asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible despite every fiber of his being wanting to go with Nico to make sure he was okay.

Dr. Bailey narrowed her eyes. “Well, now I’m saying you’re with Dr. Grey. You have a problem with that?” She raised a stern brow.

“No ma’am,” He was quick to respond as self-preservation kicked in.

“Then go!”

With one last glance at Nico, he left the ER and went in search for the renowned general surgeon. Thankfully, it didn’t take long. As per usual, she was a hunched over a tablet at the nurse’s station.

Taking a deep breath, he cautiously approached her the way one would a lion.

“Hi, uh, Dr. Grey, I’m on your service today.”

She didn’t acknowledge him as she performed a series of swipes on the tablet with her finger.

“Dr. Grey?”

“I’m about to do a cholecystectomy, have you seen one before?”

“Um, yes?”

“Why do you sound unsure? It’s a simple question, yes or no?” Her voice was monotone as she typed some information on the electronic chart.

He cleared his throat. “Yes.”

“Then you should be able to tell me all the steps. And don’t leave any details out.”

Straightening up – after all, he was a nerd, facts were his area of expertise – he rattled off everything he knew about the procedure.

“Good,” She said, and Levi felt a rush of pride at her mildly impressed tone since that was as encouraging as she ever got. “Since you know so much about it, maybe I’ll let you do more than clamp and suction today. I’ll be trying this new technique that was just published, but the basic steps are still the same.” Picking up a stack of papers, she thrust them into his empty hands. “Surgery’s in an hour, I expect you to read up on it.”

His eyes brightened in excitement and he subconsciously started to bounce on the balls of his feet. “Wow, thank you, Dr. Grey! I won’t let you down!” 

He had just turned around to find somewhere quiet to read when she stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. He turned to face her again, and as he did so, her eyes roamed his face as if she was searching for something. Finally, she asked, “What happened to your glasses?”

“Oh,” he automatically reached up to adjust them before he remembered they weren’t there. “I was crossing the ambulance bay earlier and the wind-”

Dr. Grey immediately interrupted him with a sharp, exasperated sigh and a firm shake of her head. Reaching forward, she yanked the papers from his grasp. “Nevermind then. I don’t want you if I can’t use you.”

He stared blankly at his empty hands for a moment before his wide brown eyes flew to hers. “What? Why-“

“You’re a mess on a good day, I can’t imagine how disastrous you’ll be blind.” She finished curtly before turning on her heel and briskly walking away.

He was staring after her retreating frame in disappointment when she suddenly stopped in her tracks. Turning her head to the side she said dryly, “Actually, you’d better come with me where I can keep an eye on you. You can scrub in and _strictly_ observe.” She held out the papers again and he rushed up to her to grab them. 

“Thank-” She turned and left before he could finish, probably to go check on the patient once more before the surgery.

“You,” he finished lamely and sighed. “I _can_ see, you know,” he announced to no one in particular. A passing nurse who didn’t particularly care enough to listen rolled her eyes at him but didn’t respond, not that he really expected her to.

Hugging the papers to his chest, he followed after Dr. Grey.

***

Soon after, Levi found himself staring into an open body cavity watching one of the most amazing general surgeons in the world performing a cutting-edge surgery, but he couldn’t focus. His mind kept drifting to a certain orthopedic fellow and the implications of a certain firefighter telling his wife about them.

“Why are you distracted?” Dr. Grey didn’t even glance up from the open body in front of her to ask the question.

“Wh-what? I’m not d-distracted,” he denied, unconvincing to even himself.

Without glancing up, Dr. Grey deadpanned, “A doctor quite a few years my junior just kissed me in the same elevator my dead husband proposed to me in. And I liked it.”

“Uh-” Levi didn’t know how to respond to that.

“And my matchmaker died.” Dr. Grey continued. “But do you see me distracted? No. So you have no reason to be. Focus on the surgery, Glasses.” She then glanced up and noticed his bare face. “Err, Schmitt.”

She worked – and he observed – in silence for a bit before eventually, Levi’s anxiety prompted him to speak his mind, knowing that if he didn’t he wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about it.

“Dr. Grey?” He ventured.

“Yes?” She replied as she clamped an artery.

“I...I have a question.”

“I figured.”

Levi opened his mouth but closed it again as he tried to decide how to phrase his thoughts. 

“Spit it out, Schmitt.”

Jumping slightly, Levi took a deep breath before blurting out, “Well, um, hypothetically, if a surgical intern were to become involved with a surgical fellow, would there be any rules or anything keeping them from that?”

“Involved how?” Dr. Grey asked absentmindedly as she kept her focus oriented on her hands inside the patient’s abdomen.

“Involved, um, _romantically_.” Levi could feel his cheeks warming at the word but kept a straight face. “Hypothetically, of course,” he made sure to add.

Dr. Grey lifted her head suddenly and pierced him with a stare so icy, it had Levi immediately understanding why she was sometimes referred to as Medusa.

“You are literally standing at the right hand of a surgical god watching the future of medicine being created, and your question is about the best way you can go about screwing someone in my hospital?”

 _Oh, right. This is her hospital. Hell, her name is on the freaking door!_ Frozen in place by her glare, Levi could do nothing more than gulp.

Rolling her eyes, Dr. Grey dropped her eyes back to the open body cavity in front of her. “Interns, am I right, Bokhee?”

Levi saw a nurse nod in his peripheral vision and sighed in relief, thinking that was the end of it. Dropping his eyes back to the surgery, he prayed to anyone listening that she’d forget he ever asked, but to his surprise, Dr. Grey wasn’t done.

“A few years ago a rule was made that any relationship between a superior and a subordinate needed to be disclosed to the board via a form signed by both parties signifying it was consensual.”

“Oh.” That wasn’t too bad. Of course, he and Nico hadn’t really labeled anything yet, but it was good to know that if they wanted, they could pursue their...whatever it was they had. Levi was hesitant to say relationship because they’d never really had a chance to define it, but he’d like to think that Nico thought of him as more than a hookup. But really, what if that was all he was to Nico? It wasn’t like he even knew why Nico was interested in him in the first place! What if-

“Is that why you’re so distracted today? A fellow?” Dr. Grey scoffed. “You do know Wils- I mean Karev – is married, right? To one of my best friends?” She lifted a brow at Levi.

“What?“ Levi reared back. “No! I wasn’t talking about Dr. Karev.” 

“Then what other fellow…” Dr. Grey trailed off in thought.

“Hypothetically!” Levi squeaked. “I said _hypothetically_. There’s no fellow.” Levi cursed himself for being so specific, even without meaning to, and inadvertently exposing himself to another one of his bosses. The last thing he needed was it to get back to Nico that he was already running around claiming Nico as his boyfriend or life partner or something. 

“Aha!” Dr. Grey pulled out the inflamed gallbladder and dropped it in a metal basin. “Please put that in medical waste, will you?” She asked a nearby scrub nurse before beginning to close.

Levi thought Dr. Grey had forgotten about his idiotic question until all of a sudden, without lifting her gaze, she asked, “Dr. Lincoln has a fellow, doesn’t he?”

“Uh…I…I’m not sure. May-maybe? But like I said, Dr. Grey, my question was based on a _hypothetical_ situation. There’s no fellow.” Levi tried to sound as nonchalant as possible, but he didn’t think it worked because Dr. Grey continued on as if she hadn’t heard him.

“Anybody know for sure?” She asked, looking around the room for anyone with an answer.

Levi frantically followed her gaze, begging with his eyes as best as he could for everyone to just shut the hell up.

“His name is Dr. Nico Kim. He’s a great surgeon. Good with the kids.” The anesthesiologist, a doctor no more than a couple years older than Levi, supplied with a smile so wide and so genuine it was stretching his face mask. Dr. Graham Keys was a really nice guy, Levi had met him before, but right now he wanted to kill him.

“Any other surgical fellows that anyone knows about?” Dr. Grey asked, perusing the room again. This time, no one spoke up. The longer the silence dragged on, the more Levi wished that he would faint again just to distract Dr. Grey from her line of questioning. Sure, she’d never let him participate in another one of her surgeries. And yeah, the entire hospital would laugh at him until the end of time, but at least it would be a hell of a lot less embarrassing than this.

Dr. Grey turned her calculating gaze to Levi then, causing all thoughts to flee his brain and pure fear to take their place. “As a member of the board, I advise you to fill out the form as soon as possible.”

“It was a hypothetical question! I don’t need to fill out a form!” Levi defended, but the squeak in his voice and the heat flooding his cheeks belied his words.

Eventually, he gave up the facade and dropped his embarrassed gaze to the surgical field. “I have a question about the surgery now.” He started, attempting to change the subject. “Why-“

“But as someone who was in your shoes,” Dr. Grey began again, interrupting him, and Levi lifted his eyes to meet hers. To his surprise, her gaze was soft (well, for her) and understanding. “Don’t be afraid of happiness, but don’t let him be the only cause of yours. Someone close to me once said to me that my husband was not the sun, and your fellow is not yours. Don’t revolve around him. Focus on your work and excel at it.”

Without leaving Levi much time to ponder her words, she spoke again. “Now go update the family. Tell them he’s going to be fine.”

He was having a bit of whiplash from her ever-changing moods, but figured doing as she asked was his best bet. He started to turn his back to the sterile field but stopped at the last moment. “Thank you, Dr. Grey.”

She waved him away impatiently. “Go, Schmitt! Go!”

Ducking his head to hide the smile forming beneath his mask, he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just love Meredith with the interns lol so I just had to put her (and her words of wisdom) in here. As you could see, I had a bit too much fun with her XD Let me know what you thought!


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